5 August 2020 | Updated: July 23, 2021
The restaurant run by Kiko Moya and Alberto Redrado brings together fine food from land and sea on the menu, complementing Cocentaina's traditional cuisine with new culinary techniques.
The concept dates back to 1980, when Francisco Moya gave up hotel management and called Ramiro Redrado with a view to starting a catering business: L’Escaleta. Originally located in a basement in the historic centre of Cocentaina, Spain, the popularity of this restaurant amongst local and international clientele was such that the business rapidly grew until it relocated to an estate with a view of Mount Montcabrer in the Natural Park of Sierra Mariola in Alicante.
Forty years have passed since those early days and although the menu has expanded to include new textures and flavours, the way in which Kiko Moya and Alberto Redrado (second generation) champion traditional Alicante cuisine, with fresh seasonal produce and the best wines in the region, is still the restaurant's hallmark.
“Hemos compartido esfuerzo y dedicación para seguir ofreciendo lo mejor de la gastronomía y el vino”
“Success tastes better if it's shared y nosotros hemos compartido esfuerzo y dedicación para seguir ofreciendo lo mejor de la gastronomía y el vino”, explican los dos propietarios del restaurante.
Salty nougat from Alicante, salted red prawns, blanquette with Lima beans and black truffle, red mullet in a fish stock, and dry rice with baby cuttlefish, alcachofas y habitas son algunos de los platos estrella de su carta, en la que se muestra esa reinterpretación constante que vive L’Escaleta.
It has a style of its own that blends simple local food with cutting-edge culinary techniques which has led them to win two Michelin Stars and three Repsol Soles awards. Its outstanding quality has also been recognised by the Royal Spanish Academy of Gastronomy, awarding Alberto Redrado with the title of "Best sommelier in Spain" during 2019.
“Our cocina no pretende caer en el recurso fácil de la reconstrucción, sino aportar algo nuevo trabajando aquellos sabores con los que crecimos”
“Our we have modified our cuisine. It has been aA slow process of searching for our own identity that is based on the flavours of the regionusing regional flavours and doesn't aim to fall into the easy approach of reconstruction it hasn’t come easily, but now we are proud to offer something unique,"”, remarcan Moya y Redrado.
Una filosofía que defienden los miembros de su equipo y sus comensales, quienes podrán disfrutar de un menú especial que L’Escaleta ha diseñado con motivo de su 40th anniversary.
Between March and December 2020, the restaurant is organising ten dinners with the country's leading chefs to highlight its history and healthy haute cuisine.
Photo: Toni Miranda
On the first Wednesday of each month, 45 people will taste the latest creations by Kiko Moya and his first-class team, which will include such well-known names as Martín Berasategui, Joan Roca, Ángel León, Albert Adrià, Jordi Cruz, Paco Morales, Andoni Luis and Eneko Atxa, among others.
El periodo de confinamiento le sirvió a Kiko Moya para repensar el futuro de L’Escaleta y la sustainable transformation the catering industry must pursue through the circular economy and local trade.
He spoke out about these and other reflections in Lifestyle Magazine's "Directos", where he defended the role of design inside and outside the kitchen. This is the goal he wants to achieve with XTONE,, Urbatek's compact sintered mineral, which defines the shape of his open kitchen.
Due to its hygienic properties (it prevents the release of volatile organic compounds), its resistance to high temperatures, scratches and hard knocks,plus sheer integrity as a material, XTONE is the perfect kitchen assistant for Moya. With its unlimited application in design and no joins, spaces that use XTONE benefit from its stylish continuity also making it safer.
The industrial design que predomina en L’Escaleta tiene a Bottega Limestone and Acero with a Nature finish (XTONE) as the main collection. These large format tiles, inspired by natural stone and concrete, are used for the worktops as well as flooring.
Another series that has been used on the floor of the restaurant is Stuc Black Polished porcelain,with its sandstone texture creating a more natural feel. “The kitchen is well thought out, quiet and intimate and everything in it is easily accessible making for an efficient and more courteous kitchen environment",”, destaca el chef.
See it in Projects Porcelanosa.
Photo:Toni Miranda
Interior design: CuldSac
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